From Personnel Management to Strategic Human Resource Management

If we talk about Human Resource then we refer to an organization's actual asset i.e. the manpower it holds in terms of its employees and associates.

While Human Resource Management is about managing this resource i.e. the manpower for harnessing its maximum potential in the benefit of the organization. In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, the top management only thought of its manpower as a source of production and thus MEN were treated equal to the MATERIAL and MACHINES. But lately, it was realized that to get most out of an employee you need to take care of his/her personal and social needs as well.

Then came the Personnel Management wherein there was a small team of 2 or 3 employees devoted to work specifically for the employees. But then, here also much of the attention was paid in the administrative jobs like their payroll calculation, attendance checks and similarly few other jobs. Here also employee satisfaction was not a major concern for the employer.

With the globalization of the industries this Personnel Management department evolved into Human Resource Management Department which was solely responsible for the employee satisfaction and motivation. The Human Resource Management concentrated on the parameters of developing the employees' potential, their job-satisfaction, their motivation level and their productivity. The organization's mission now also includes the growth and development of its employees. The Training Need Analysis started off to identify the needs of employees so as to improve their soft and technical skills. Various Wage calculation schemes were now taken into consideration just to add on incentives over and above an employee's fixed wages to increase their motivation for work. In Human Resource Management various employee engagement activities are also taken care of like organizing some fun trips for employees towards the year end, some cultural events etc.

Also, Performance Appraisal System came into picture through which the performance of an employee could be evaluated which resulted in increase in his pay through some incentives and bonuses if the performance is up to a set standard or also helped in identifying training needs. Different Performance appraisal systems were used like 90 degree appraisal wherein only the boss evaluates the performance, 180 degree where the boss and the subordinate evaluate their performances and similarly 360 degree or BARS can be used.

Then after HRM came the Human Resource Development where much stress is laid on development of the Human Resource of an organization. The Human Resource can be developed through various workshops, trainings or team exercises. The development of an employee refers to overall development of an employee in terms of his/her on-job skills and behavioral skills. A star employee is one who can achieve all his/her targets and is ready to be promoted to a higher level. For this, Potential Appraisals are done. Potential Appraisals are exercises that evaluate whether an employee is ready to shoulder the responsibilities of his/her boss or not. This is done through Assessment Centers where some business games or in-basket exercises are arranged for employees. Here the Stress Analysis is also done as a part of these exercises. This potential appraisal also helps in Succession Planning. It is usually done for Senior Level employees as the recruitment costs for senior level employees are very high.

The development of an employee is different for his training as it has a greater impact on his persona. Training is limited to a particular skill while development grooms a person to reach to a higher mind set.

With globalization, need of Strategic Human Resource Management is realized. Today an organization constitutes of employees from across the globe, coming from varied cultures. Managing this work-force is again a challenge which has to be dealt strategically. The top management or the Human Resource Department has to take care of all the employees and understanding their needs and satisfaction parameters. The challenge is to maximize profits while minimizing the differences between the workforce. This can be done by applying the Bennett's Development Model of Inter cultural Sensitivity which starts from denial, defense, minimization and reaches to acceptance, adaptation and finally integration of the diverse work force.

Hence, Human Resource Management which is though considered as a support function in an organization is indeed a crucial and challenging task of maintaining the Human Potential of an organization.

Nature's way of Procreation and Destruction

Some friends raised question of compassion for animals and avoid violence of all sorts. Some even went to the extent of not killing an insect and show mercy. They are right, we must avoid violence but can't stop it from the nature of things all around us. I am in favor of violently killing somebody dangerous to humanity. By this, I intend to save the humanity from peril.

For getting a feel of how much we should be compassionate for the worms and insects all around. let us have a glance at the way nature procreates and destructs the procreated. Nature does not believe in survival of all those procreated but only a very few of them. For this reason, the nature procreates in abundance and then leave them for getting destroyed in its fierce activities of heat, cold and rains. Only a few survive and procreate again in a huge number for being destroyed again and the cycle keeps on going.... like this for ever.


So, what is there to be compassionate about when the very nature does not care for those procreated. Can we make a difference by being oversensitive to violence to worms and insects and thus wasting our energy in such thoughts and efforts and in turn putting down our productivity. In my opinion, it is making an issue out of nothing.


Humanity, by its scientifically civilized approach, has devised safety measures against natural onslaughts of heat, cold, rain and other disasters, thus saving the humans and close pets from perishing before their usual longevities. It is not moving against the nature but parallel to its regime in a compartmentalized regime of humanity. The two regimes must honor each other and be supportive to each other, and for this, only we humans need to follow a cautious approach. Nature is wild and shall always be like that.


What is going to happen in near future? With safety measures of humans from getting perished due to ill health or natural calamities, human population shall go up dramatically, overburdening the earth and all its resources. Then it shall be imperative to reduce the human population on earth. This can't be, need not be, and should not be indiscriminate killing of human-beings. We need to put tab on birth rate first, particularly in the densely populated zones of the earth. Secondly, let us leave all those on their own fate who don't listen to the call of the time to control birth rate and keep on producing in bulk like insects and worms. Let them perish under natural cycles and calamities like the worms and insects get perished. We can't afford to doom the whole humanity for the sake of the indisciplined and thus anti-humanity people on the earth.



The third imperative step is even more drastic. There are races who have been violent historically, have been maintaining their identities distinct from those having mild natures and easily assimilate each other's lifestyles, cultures and traditions. These have become well known now with the regime of terror all over the world. Let us decide not to save them from peril if it comes over them. 

Toughness Works if Disciplined

Now-a-days, I see all around people advocating diplomacy to keep good relations with all and better manage problems of business and life. I am not able to subscribe to the idea. In my view, diplomacy is another name for falsehood, designed by liars and cheats to serve their vested interests. Thus, it is indiscipline and promoted by those having no regard to discipline.

I have been in the field of industrial management, never adopted diplomacy as my management style, and surely had been pretty successful in my profession. The essence of my management style had been toughness with highest order of discipline - first for the self and then for the others. Indeed, toughness can't work without self-discipline.


Self-discipline has a basic ingredient of honoring time, and this includes punctuality in presence and decision-making. A timely decision saves a lot and is key to management. Even if there has been an error in a quick decision, it proves better than a delayed decision for availability of time for a correction.


For toughness in management, there have to be well-defined values and sticking to these by the manager. It is some sort of ruthlessness in honoring values and being objective in decision-making. Such a toughness projects an image of the manager as a non-compromising person on principles and everyone around tries to give due regard to the manager and his/her stand. Even in practical life, image of person works much more than the person him/herself. This is true to more extent in business field. Whole of credit-rating system and brand-loyalty work, the two key ingredients of marketing, on this imaging. 



Image-building is a time-consuming process and and requires sustenance on values and it is like a business investment paying later with premium. So, have patience in expecting others' recognition of your image and its working for you. Toughness without self-discipline proves to be counter-productive and hollowness of one's personality becomes obvious soon. For the indisciplined, diplomacy is the safe den. 

Individual Interest in Ecology, Why

The world leaders are trying for a consensus on taking collective action to prevent further damage to ecology, rather than each taking her own action in the matter. In fact, there is no need of any consensus and every nation must her best as there can be no collective action. Even after a consensus, which is difficult to achieve, the nations shall be required to act individually. And this is why the cart comes to a standstill state. This is to be understood by every nation that action on her part is unavoidable if one cares for ecology.

A single positive action by a single best possible nation in this regard is going to much more valuable than the generalized and formal actions out of a consensus. That will generate waves of actions after actions at individual nation levels. When it comes to a consensus, every individual nation becomes curious about what she gains by that instead of what she is to give to that. That is a very selfish tendency and all the governments have it. As far ecology is concerned, it is time to give out rather than for getting something. 


The reason for insisting on a consensus is that every one fears if she takes some action and the others fail to do that, her own action shall go to drain, having not much of impact on ecology. This is true but it is also true that if a single nation acts without others following suit, her concern for ecology and importance of action comes to notice immediately, and all others shall be morally bound to follow on their own accord. At nation level, some positive actions to begin with could be -

1. Improve public transport system to encourage people to use that instead of personal vehicles.
2. Stop mass-scale urbanization and instead develop rural areas to prevent migrations from villages to the cities. 
3. Adopt to renewable energy sources such as sun and wind to generate electricity in a decentralized way.
4. Encourage use of bicycles by officials and individuals. For this the cost of bicycle may be subsidized.
5. Stop emission of pollutants to the atmosphere, and effluents to the water streams from industrial units.
6. Prohibit manufacture and distribution of incandescent lams, instead promote use of compact fluorescent tube for lighting homes. 

This logic is not only true for nations but for each person also. It is obligatory on every citizen of the world to do his/her best to save the ecology from further damage. For this, three steps could be easily taken by all of us -

1. Move to your destination using minimum of energy from outside of one's body. For this, walk down if the distance is around two kilometers, bicycle for a distance of up to 20 kilometers, and use public transport system for longer distances.
2. Use locally produced fresh vegetables and fruits instead of imported and frozen vegetables and fruits. 
3. Use compact fluorescent tubes for lighting and do away with incandescent lamps for lighting.       

The ultimate objective is to cut down on over-use of natural resources by nations as well as by individual persons, in the interest of all of us, and particularly our future generations. And that is going to take care of all our ecological problems.

How Much to be put at Risk

In life as well as more particularly in business, gains are outcomes of taking risk. We have the gain of survival because we take risk of living in a sickly environment. If we decide to avoid living in it, we shall simply have to terminate our life streams. Similarly, if a businessperson does not put his/her capital at risk, there shall be no business gains. But risk and gain have no mathematical relationship. A high risk may result in a low profit while another small risk may result into a high profitability. It is always situational and that is where business acumen is called for.

Ultimate aim of every human-being is to produce happiness for the self, family, community, society and/or for the whole humanity. Profits bring it while risks damage it. So, risks and gains are trade-offs of happiness. Further, the most important happiness comes from survival making it the most precious commodity for any living-being. This brings us to think about how much to be put a risk.

Risk is taken for a profit which brings in happiness, so no risk has any value if it has the prospects of perishing happiness. Happiness is not in abundances but certainly is in meeting minimum requirements of physical life. After that, all is psychological – some may not be happy even in abundances. This derives us to not to risk minimum needs of physical life. For example, risk of getting sick should never be taken whatever be the gains because sickness definitely puts happiness in peril.


Differentiating Sources and Resources
When I was young, I entered the field of business putting everything of mine at risk and lost everything in the process. The mistake was to treat everything as a resource and I put every resource of mine at risk. But there are possessions which are not resources but the sources. For example, health is not a resource but a source of life for the living-being. It can't be risked. Many businesspersons fail to recognize this basic fact and risk their health in their passions for earning financial profits. This is no wisdom. 


Differentiating Happiness and Pleasures
Minimum physical needs of one's survival are to be treated as sources and not the resources to be risked. Similarly, anything needed for happiness need be considered as a source of life - happiness being basic to it. However, pleasures are different from happiness and these may be risked for other gains. To differentiate between the two, one need to understand that happiness is a long-lasting asset while pleasures are momentary. 


Mental contentment is the source of happiness which, in turn, comes from knowing what one wants to achieve in a near foreseeable future. If this is not known, no contentment can ever be achieved imperiling happiness for ever. 



I have observed two fields wherein people keep on going in rounds and rounds infinitely in chase of their destinations - unlimited profits in business, and supernatural powers in spirituality. Both remain unachieved for ever and the subject remains in a mirage - discontented for ever. These are very high risks to be avoided judiciously.   

Dignity of Labor

Yesterday, I chatted with a very cute friend of mine. On my quest, she told me that she does cleaning work and she was not at all shy of it. I appreciate her providing dignity to what she does. No doubt, she is one of my precious friends. Such things are often missing in many societies including mine. People do things not by their own will but as if under compulsions. There are two aspects to it - loving what you do, and doing what you love. Both are important to provide dignity to labor and to accomplish perfection on what you do.

Loving what you do
Often, our circumstances don't allow us to do what we would have liked to do and do under compulsions of finding a livelihood. But for this, not loving the job in hand is not the right solution. Problem is more of psychological nature rather than physical. People have no respect for the labor involved in petty jobs, so such jobs are not done well with care and love. This puts everybody in problem - the service provider as well as the receiver.

Everyone has a right to do what he/she likes to do but for that one has to deserve and prove his/her worthiness. The worth of an individual is proved by what he/she does, and how he/she does a job in hand. So even if one is not satisfied with the job in hand and wants to move to a job of his/her choice, he/she is needed to prove his/her worth by doing the job in hand with all his/her efforts and in the best possible way. This is naturally achieved by one providing dignity to his/her own work and the labor put into it. Once, this is done, one may be considered for a job of his/her choice.

Doing what you love
Everyone's circumstances do not allow him/her to find a job of his/her choice and thus doing what he/she loves to do. And unless a person loves the job he/she is doing, he/she fails to put his/her best in the job. This, on one hand, spoils the job and on the other puts a question mark on the worthiness of the performer blocking his/her future prospects. So for doing what you love, the essential condition is 'loving what you do'.

Both the above things are easily achieved by giving regard and due dignity to labor put in a job by yourself or by anybody else. The dignified consideration for labor not only makes the laborer happy but also proves your worth.


Labor is essential for all human endeavors and nothing moves without it. It is at the core of every progress humanity has made so far and shall always be at that. Even the most intellectual activities such as reading and writing, etc. need the precious labor for actual performances.

Western world is much more mechanized than the eastern world. This makes difference in the physical labor input needed for most of the jobs. Although this has not undermined, in any way, dignity of labor, the west now recommends 'exercises' for keeping good health. I am of the opinion that instead manual productive work must be taken up in place of exercises to keep in good health. No exercise can benefit the body in its wholeness as a practical work can do.

Making a Brainstorming Session More Productive

Business world has more complex problems than other fields of human endeavor, therefore brainstorming is more often required to solve business problems. It is a group discussion technique aimed at finding solution ideas from different persons, discussing them threadbare and then choosing the best solution for a particular problem. It is supposed to double the creative output of all the outputs from the individuals. Apart from this, it boosts morale, enhances work enjoyments and improves team spirit of the participants.

To make a brain storming session the most effective, the group leader, often called the facilitator, must focus on the four basic points as its rules -

1. Maximization of Number of Ideas : 'More the ideas generated in the brainstorming session, more the chances of a better solution' is the maxim of this rule.
2. Bar on Criticism : No idea put forward by an individual in a session must be criticized by others in order to generate more and more radical ideas. Instead, others must supplement or complement the ideas to make them more practicable and close to optimum. The criticism, if any, may be reserved for a later critical stage of finalization of the solution.
3. Unusual is Gold : As far as a radical solution is concerned, unusual ideas play pivotal role in finding the optimum solution. So, these not only be welcomed but also encouraged for putting forth. Often youths and new entrants to the field are found full of such ideas.
4. Association of Ideas : Since, ideas are put forth extempore, no idea may be foolproof and complete in itself. But associating different compatible ideas into a single idea may result into an optimum solution. This works like 'one and one make eleven'.   

The process of collecting ideas from the participants must aim at proximity of associated ideas so that each one works on elaboration of the other. However, unassociated and unorthodox ideas must also be welcomed and put in different groups in accordance with their associativities. Participants who fail to put forth their ideas may be encouraged to present their ideas in writing and these must also be considered in the solution finalization process.

The collector of ideas must read out his/her recorded version of each idea before the session to ensure that the records are what were intended by the idea presenters.

The brainstorming session is meant for flowing of frank ideas without any inhibitions from the bosses who may have some biases in their minds. So, it is always better if bosses are kept away from initial stages of a brainstorming session.

After generating and collecting all the ideas a solution to the problem is finalized. It must be such that the skills and resources required for its implementation are available with the group, or their acquisition be included in the solution. Secondly, the progress and result of implementing the solution must be clearly quantifiable.


Finally, inclusion of a subject specialist in the brainstorming session proves beneficial to all and at all stages. Secondly, no body, particularly the managers, in a brainstorming session be with some preconceived notions about the solution. This may negate the productive creativity of the juniors.

Lifestyle and Global Warming

Per capita energy consumption and human well-being on this earth are correlated through environmental well-being of the earth. Individually, each one of us wishes his/her own well-being which depends on our environment and our social concern about it. Individual concern of a few of us about it matters little, although social concern means a collection of concerns of all individuals. Individually, we want to enjoy life for the time-being at whatever the cost to the whole humanity. As a result, lifestyle of each of us has reached a stage of no social concern. This is knot which is not finding a solution. We fail miserably in linking our individual enjoyments to the well-being of the whole humanity through taking care of our ecological system.

Our lifestyle of high energy consumption mean more of carbon dioxide emission leading to global warming through greenhouse effect. For example, when an individual flies, he/she emits carbon dioxide in a single flight twice of that emitted in a year of walking. The energy consumption has direct or indirect relationships to our fresh water resources, food security, forest resources and biodiversity, all related to happy human life on the earth.


Since the problem is originated by contributions of all of us, we tend to seek solutions through social and political platforms ignoring what all of us as individuals can do. Since social and political platforms too have to act through each of us through force, it would be full of wisdom on our parts if we act on our own. This requires will of each of us at individual level to reduce energy consumption to a minimum possible level. For example, if we need to move up to a distance of 3 kilometers and below, it is healthful - individually, socially and ecologically - to walk down; and we need to travel a distance of  4 to 10 kilometers we must follow the healthy path of bicycling instead of using an automobile. And whenever, we can afford in terms of time, we must avoid air travel and instead use a public transport system such as railways. 


Owning a personal motor vehicle has become a status symbol in ethically backward countries such as India, it has added to multiple problems such as parking space, congested road, etc. even if an individual is in a position to economically afford it. Health problems due to indiscriminate use of a motor vehicle are additional gifts of our lifestyle of high energy consumption.  


To address the problem directly, each one of need to conduct an energy audit of the self and the dependent family members and bring it down to the bare minimum, if not for ourselves for our next generations' health and happiness.